Method of making an applicator for cosmetics

ABSTRACT

An applicator element mounted on a handle to serve the general purpose of a brush comprises a bulbous body of a soft, resilient, foamed plastic with the cells open to provide communication among the cells and to provide numerous minute outwardly open cavities formed by the outer cells. The applicator element is of folded construction. Preferably, a stiffener element is enclosed by the foamed plastic applicator element and is substantially smaller in cross-sectional area than the applicator element.

United States Patent [72] lnventor Bnmo D. Aston 1421 1 Skyline Drive,lladenda Heights, Calif. 91745 [21] Appl. No. 816,183 [22] Filed Apr.11, 1969 [45] Patented May 4, 1971 Continuation of applimtion Ser. No.660,124, Aug. 11, 1967, now abandoned.

[54] METHOD OF MAKING AN APPLICATOR FOR COSMETICS 4 Claims, 13 Drawing1'15. [52] US. (I 15/244, 300/21 [51] Int. C A471: 7/02 [50]FieldofSearch 15/118, 244, 244.4, 104.94, 114; 401/196, 202,203, 204,207, 262, 264, 266,205, 206; 300/21; 128/269 [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 2,011,975 8/1935 Johnson 15/231 2,147,310 2/1939Morrison 117/21 2,391,077 12/1945 Sticht 300/21 2,962,746 12/ 1 960Heroy et a1. 15/244 3,186,765 6/1965 Gentoso 300/21 I FOREIGN PATENTS1,303,078 7/1961 France Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Attorney-PaulA. Weilein ment and is substantially smaller in cross-sectional areathan the applicator element.

PATENTEU M 4 EZZ/A/O 0 4570M INVENTOR utility for use as an METHOD orMAKING AN srrucx'ron son COSMETICS Aug. ll, 1967 and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Brushes are commonly mounted on handles toserve as means for applying various materials to various surfaces. Thepresent invention is directed to the need for circumventing certaindisadvantages and limitations that are inherent in such bushes, andespecially in the use of brushes to apply cosmetics.

One disadvantage of a conventional brush for use with cosmetics such asrouge, mascara, and eye shadow is that it is difficult to control thearea of application with close precision. A slight increase in pressuremay spread'the brush beyond the desired area of application and toooften errant bristles diverge from the main body of bristles to defeatclose control. The need is for an applicator element that has and willmaintain well defined boundaries.

A related need is a brush that may be used for sidewise strokes withclose control of the width and length of the strokes. If a conventionalflat brush is moved sidewise to apply a stroke of material, the bristlesnecessarily bend laterally and the location of the stroke varies withthe degree of flexure of the bristles. Consequently, it is not possibleto move a flat brush sidewise with such close control as to be sure ofcover ing a precisely defined area.

Another disadvantage is that a conventional brush has too limitedcapacity for retention of a fluid cosmetic after the brush is dippedinto the fluid. A brush has only limited capillary capacity and most ofthe fluent material that is being applied is retained on the brush bysimple adherence to the smooth outer surfaces of the individual bristlesof the brush.

Another need in many instances is for a brush that will make exceedinglylight contact with a skin area. Ideally, such a brush should be as lightand soft as a feather not only for the comfort of the user but also toavoid any excessive tendency for the brush to wipe off previouslyapplied material.

A still further need is for a brush having special utility for theapplication of finely divided dry materials such as dry rouge andpowder. Such an improved applicator should, of course, permit accuratecontrol of the area of application and such a brush should be capable ofretaining a desirable quantity of the dry material when the brush isdipped into the dry material. Here again, a brush for the application ofdry material should make only light contact with a skin area to avoiddragging away previously applied dry material.

Finally, it is desirable that a cosmetic applicator be of a relativelysimple construction suitable for mass production by automatic orsemiautomatic machinery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is based on the discovery that alight, soft, resilient foamed plastic such as foamed urethane. hasspecial applicator for cosmetics or the like if the foamed plastic is ofopen cell construction. With the numerous minute or microscopic cells ofthe foamed plastic in communication with each other, the foamed plastichas exceptional capacity for capillary action and the relatively largetotal volume of the voids of such an applicator of a given size providesan exceptional capacity for the retention of a quantity of liquidcosmetic after the applicator is dipped into the liquid cosmetic.

A special advantage of such an applicator isthat the open cells on theouter surface of the applicator constitute numerous closely spacedcavities that are opened to the exterior of the applicator. If theapplicator is used for applying a liquid cosmetic, initial contact ofthe applicator with the skin releases the liquid in the surface of thecavities of the applicator and thereafter the surface cavities aresupplied with reserve liquid from the deeper cells of the applicator. Ifthe applicator is dipped into a dry cosmetic such as face powder or dryrouge, the minute surface cavities of the applicator retain particles ofthe dry material and .readily release the particles upon initial contactof the applicator with the user's skin.

A further important advantage of an applicator made of a soft open cellfoamed plastic is that the applicator has definite boundaries whicharemaintained when the applicator is brought into light pressure contactwith the skin. Since the applicator tends to maintain its configuration,it is very easy for the user to control the area of application withprecision. lt is also an important fact that such an applicator may bemoved sidewise for accurately located and well defined strokes ofcosmetic material.

One embodiment as formed by the method of the invention is a relativelysmall open cell foamed plastic applicator body on a handle, whichapplicator, for example, may be used to apply nail polish in acontrolled manner. The invention teaches that the applicator element forthis purpose may be simply a layer of the foamed plastic that is foldedback on itself and is mounted on the handle by a suitable ferrule.

Where it is desirable to provide a larger or longer applicator elementthat would tend to flap in an uncontrolled manner, the invention teachesthat the applicator may be reinforced by a suitable stiffener member.Preferably, the stiffener member is enclosed by the foamed plasticmaterial. For this purpose an applicator element made of the foamedplastic may be of folded construction according to the disclosed methodwith a thin flexible plastic stiffener blade interposed between thefolded layers. The foamed plastic may be in the form of an envelope withthe stiffener member extending into the interior of the envelope.

A feature of the invention which incorporate a stiffener member is thatthe stiffener member may be advantageously of smaller longitudinalcross-sectional area than the envelope into which it extends. Thus, thefoamed plastic of such an applicator may have a freely flexible marginalend portion extending beyond the end of the enclosed stiffener memberwith two freely flexible side marginal portions extending beyond theopposite sides of the stiffener member.

The advantage of such a stiffener inside an envelope of the open cellplastic material is that the envelope may be relatively large withoutbeing so limber as to sacrifice close control of the area ofapplication. A special advantage is that the applicator may be movedsidewise for sidewise strokes with close control of the area of theapplied material. A further special advantage of the invention is thatopen cell foamed urethane is of such light weight and delicateconstruction that it compares with a feather in its ability to brush theskin with exceedingly light contact.

With reference to economical fabrication of such applicators, the opencell foamed plastic may be produced in sheets of suitable thicknem topermit applicator elements to be stamped out by mass productiontechniques. In this regard, one feature of embodiments of the inventionthat employ envelopes of the foamed plastic material is that theenvelopes may be produced by superimposing one layer of the foamedmaterial on another layer and then using a cutting die to cut throughboth layers and simultaneously applying sonic energy along the cuttingedges to seal the two cut layers together along their edges. Furthereconomy is achieved by using a handle construction that provides asuitable seat for the base end of the foamed plastic envelope, the seatserving the purpose of a ferrule and thus saving the cost of a ferrule.

The various features and advantages of the invention may be understoodfrom the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, which are to beregarded as merely illustrative:

FIG. I is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention wherein theapplicator element is of folded construction and is sufficiently smallin size to make it unnecessary to incorporate a stiffener member;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the same applicator;

FIG. 3 shows in side elevation a flat strip of open cell foamed plasticthat may be used to form the applicator element shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing how the flat strip of FIG. 3 maybe folded back onto itself to form the applicator element;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a strip of foamed plastic with astifi'ener member imposed thereon whereby the strip of foamed plasticmay be folded back onto the stiffener member to enclose the stiflenermember;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the foamed plastic strip and the super-imposedstiffener member shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view showing the strip of foamed plastic ofFIGS. 5 and 6 folded to enclose the stiffener member;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of an applicator incorporating anapplicator element that is constructed in the manner disclosed by FIGS.5-7;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of two layers of plastic material showing howelongated sealed envelopes may be stamped out of the two layers;

FIG. 10 is an end view of the two layers;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a foamed plastic envelope that hasbeen stamped with sealing action out of the double layer of plasticmaterial shown in FIGS. 9 and 10;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 showing how a flat stiffener membermay be superimposed on approximately onehalf of the elongated envelopeof FIG. 11 in preparation for folding the foamed plastic envelope backon itself to enclose the stiffener member; and

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of an applicator having an applicatorelement constructed in the manner indicated by FIGS. 9-12.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The first embodiment of theinvention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises an applicator element 30mounted on a handle 32 by means of a ferrule 34, the ferrule beingcrimped as indicated at 35 to engage the applicator element. Theapplicator element 30 is a relatively small element to be used,forexampie, to apply nail polish with close control of the area ofapplication. Since the applicator element is so short it is not undulypliable for its purpose and, therefore, does not need to incorporate astiffener member.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show how'the applicator element 30 may be fabricated. FIG.3 shows inside elevation a short strip 36 of the open cell foamedplastic material, the strip being of the width indicated in FIG. 1. FIG.4 shows how the strip 36 shown in FIG. 3 may be folded back on itself toproduce an applicator element in which the rounded fold 37 forms theouter end of the applicator. The rounded configuration of the outer endof the applicator that is inherent in the folded construction is highlydesirable for the particular purpose of the applicator.

FIG. 8 shows a similar applicator element 38 mounted on a handle 39 bymeans of a ferrule 40. This applicator element which may be of the samesize as the first applicator element is intended for use where lesspliability on the part of the applicator element is desirable and,therefore, the applicator element incorporates a thin flexible bladelikestiffener member 42.

FIGS. 5-7 illustrate the manner in which the applicator element 36 ofFIG. 8 may be fabricated. The fabrication procedure is the same asillustrated by FIGS. 3-4 except for the fact that the thin flexiblebladelike plastic stiffener member 42 is laid on approximately one-halfof the strip 36 of foamed plastic material prior to the folding of thestrip as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The result of folding the strip isshown in FIG. 7. It is apparent in FIG. 8 that the ferrule 40 grips theinner end of the stiffener member 42 as well as the inner end of thefolded foam plastic.

FIG. 13 shows an applicator element 44 mounted on a handle 45 by meansof a ferrule 46. The applicator element 44 is similar in construction tothe applicator element 38 but incorporates four layers instead of twolayers of the foamed plastic material. The applicator element 44 may befabricated in the manner indicated by FIGS. 9 12.

In this fabrication procedure two layers 48 of the foamed plastic arepositioned face to face as shown in FIG. 10 and then a combined cuttingand sealing die (not shown) is employed to stamp out portions of theshape indicated by the elongated holes 50 in FIG. 9. The cutting die isadapted for sonic sealing action along its cutting edges to bond the twolayers together and thus form a seam indicated at 52 in FIGS. 11 and 12.A thin flexible stiffener element 54 is then placed on one longitudinalhalf of the elongated element in preparation for folding the envelopeback on itself to produce the applicator element 44.

My description in specific detail of the presently preferred embodimentsof the invention will suggest various substitutions and other departuresfrom my disclosure within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making an applicator for applying a material to asurface, for example, to apply a cosmetic to a skin area, the stepscomprising:

forming an elongate strip piece from a resiliently yieldable, foamedplastic material of multiple cell depth by cutting two layers of thematerial positioned face-to-face, and sealing along the cut edges;

separately forming an elongate rigid handle structure;

folding the strip piece substantially midway of its length about an endedge of a bladelike stiffener of a thin flexible material to bring theends of the strip piece into engagement with the opposite sides of thestiffener; and

thereafter securing the folded strip piece at one end of the handlestructure by a surrounding wall, one end of the wall embracing the endsof the folded strip to position the fold of the strip piece outwardlybeyond said one end of the wall, and with the opposite end of thesurrounding wall secured to said one end of the handle. I

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cut edges are sealedsonically.

3. An applicator comprising:

an elongate rigid handle;

a ferrule embracing and projecting from one end of said handle;

a flat bladelike stifiener of a thin flexible material;

a generally flat strip of resiliently yieldable, foamed plastic materialof multiple cell thickness comprised of two superposed layers of thematerial in faceto-face relation, the edges of said layers being sealedtogether, said strip being folded midway of its length about an edge ofsaid bladelike stiffener; and the ends of said material and the adjacentend of said stiffener extending into and being secured in the projectingportion of said ferrule. 4. The method of making an applicator forapplying a material to a surface, for example, for applying a cosmeticto a skin area, the steps comprising:

forming an elongate rigid handle; forming an open-ended tubular ferrule;forming an elongate strip from a resiliently yieldable,

foamed plastic material of multiple cell depth;

I folding said strip substantially midway of its length about an endedge of a separate bladelike stiffener of thin, flexible solid materialto bring the ends of the strip into engagement with the opposite sidesof the stiffener and into substantial alignment with the other end ofthe stiffener; and

utilizing the ferrule as the sole means for connecting the folded stripand stiffener to the handle including the step of crimping one end ofsaid ferrule into tight gripping relation over said ends of said stripand said other end of said stiffener.

1. The method of making an applicator for applying a material to asurface, for example, to apply a cosmetic to a skin area, the stepscomprising: forming an elongate strip piece from a resilientlyyieldable, foamed plastic material of multiple cell depth by cutting twolayers of the material positioned face-to-face, and sealing along thecut edges; separately forming an elongate rigid handle structure;folding the strip piece substantially midway of its length about an endedge of a bladelike stiffener of a thin flexible material to bring theends of the strip piece into engagement with the opposite sides of thestiffener; and thereafter securing the folded strip piece at one end ofthe handle structure by a surrounding wall, one end of the wallembracing the ends of the folded strip to position the fold of the strippiece outwardly beyond said one end of the wall, and with the oppositeend of the surrounding wall secured to said one end of the handle. 2.The method according to claim 1, wherein the cut edges are sealedsonically.
 3. An applicator comprising: an elongate rigid handle; aferrule embracing and projecting from one end of said handle; a flatbladelike stiffener of a thin flexible material; a generally flat stripof resiliently yieldable, foamed plastic material of multiple cellthickness comprised of two superposed layers of the material inface-to-face relation, the edges of said layers being sealed together,said strip being folded midway of its length about an edge of saidbladelike stiffener; and the ends of said material and the adjacent endof said stiffEner extending into and being secured in the projectingportion of said ferrule.
 4. The method of making an applicator forapplying a material to a surface, for example, for applying a cosmeticto a skin area, the steps comprising: forming an elongate rigid handle;forming an open-ended tubular ferrule; forming an elongate strip from aresiliently yieldable, foamed plastic material of multiple cell depth;folding said strip substantially midway of its length about an end edgeof a separate bladelike stiffener of thin, flexible solid material tobring the ends of the strip into engagement with the opposite sides ofthe stiffener and into substantial alignment with the other end of thestiffener; and utilizing the ferrule as the sole means for connectingthe folded strip and stiffener to the handle including the step ofcrimping one end of said ferrule into tight gripping relation over saidends of said strip and said other end of said stiffener.